


The Rise of le Papillon

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, But slower this time, F/M, Gen, General undercurrent of angst, Happy Ending, LadyNoir - Freeform, Let's all get through this together, Oops I broke Adrien again, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23465236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Gabriel Agreste suddenly dies, and Adrien's life is upended in more ways than one as he is sent to live with his aunt and cousin in London. When he returns to Paris, he will have to rebuild a relationship with Marinette on both sides of their masks... something that they'll both find challenging as old friends and new enemies stand in their way.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 25
Kudos: 34





	1. Prologue

Adrien Agreste's world ended under a bolt of lightning.

Rain drizzled down the edges of his black umbrella like the tears running down the sides of his face.

The familiar tenor voice of Nathalie Sancoeur came from behind him. "It's time to go, Adrien. Your aunt is waiting for you at the mansion."

Adrien drew his eyes from the mahogany and steel casket, turning to face the woman who had so closely watched over him for the past year. Her usual red turtleneck was replaced with a black one, but other than that she looked exactly the same. Adrien thought he could see a quiver in the corner of her mouth, but chalked that up to his watering eyes. "Thank you, Nathalie, for everything you've done for me and my father. I'm sure he appreciated it, even if he didn't ever tell you."

"I'm sure your aunt will take as good care of you as we have. You'll be in good company for the next few years, until you finish your schooling and until you turn eighteen. The family attorney will be in touch periodically until then to make sure you have everything you need."

"Are you sure I can't stay in Paris, Nathalie? It's… my home. It's where my friends are." He twisted the ring on his finger. "It's where I belong right now."

"I'm sorry, Adrien, but this was decided a long time ago. Due to the… absence of your parents, your aunt will be your guardian until you legally become an adult. Your parents had your best interests in mind when this arrangement was made."

Adrien flinched at the word _guardian_.

His bodyguard placed a large hand on his shoulder, squeezed, and gently steered him to the waiting limousine.

* * *

Paris wondered what happened to Ladybug and Cat Noir.

The akumas stopped as if someone had flipped a lightswitch.

Citizens would crane their necks at any noise from above, hoping to catch a glimpse of the red-and-black superheroine and her feline counterpart. The heroes had been a reliable presence in the city for more than a year, fighting supernatural monsters and battling the forces of evil and chaos. But the updates on the Ladyblog had dwindled from daily to weekly to monthly, until Alya announced that the site would be archived until further notice.

As suddenly as the heroes and they had arrived on the scene, they were gone. The statue commemorating their good work and service to the city remained on display in Place des Vosges, and people would sometimes leave flowers or cards at its base in memory of the duo.

* * *

Nathalie Sancoeur stood in her employer's atelier. While Gabriel's fashion empire had contingency and succession plans in place, his… other endeavor certainly did not. She stared at the jewels in her hands: a purple butterfly-shaped pin and a blue peacock-shaped brooch.

She never wanted to have life and death in her hands; she only wanted to help her employer achieve his dreams, no matter what that entailed. And she knew his dream was to be reunited with his wife. But now that a heart attack had robbed him of that dream, would Emilie want to come back? Or would she want to be reunited with him?

For the first time in her life, Nathalie did not make a decision. The power generator would keep things running as long as necessary. Years, decades, maybe even centuries. It was out of her hands now.

She put the jewelry in the hidden safe in the atelier, turned out the lights, and did not return.


	2. Chrysalis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is whisked off to Felix and Amelie's house, where he finally gets some time to process the events of the past few days. He learns what life with his aunt and cousin is like, and tries to figure out the future of Cat Noir.

Adrien spent the nearly three hours on the Startrain staring out the window, but he didn't notice any of the scenery as it passed. The reflection of his eyes - his mother's eyes - watched him back from the window as he reeled from the events of the past three days.

He was fighting an akuma side-by-side with Ladybug. He didn't even remember the akuma's name or its powers, just that it was big and nasty and had an army of minions. One Lucky Charm and Cataclysm later, he and his Lady pounded fists and waved farewell, like they had done countless times before.

When he returned to his house, his bodyguard was pounding on the locked bedroom door.

Adrien opened the door and was immediately whisked downstairs. He heard a vehicle door slamming and the siren of an ambulance fading into the distance.

When Nathalie told Adrien what had happened, he had to be restrained. By the time he calmed down and was driven to the hospital, his father was gone. He was given a sedative and slept soundly that night and most of the next morning. When he awoke, Nathalie was bustling around making funeral arrangements. The Gorilla sat with him in his room, helping him pack a suitcase and generally keeping him under a watchful eye.

His friends sent him voice messages and short videos expressing support, much like on the anniversary of the day his mother disappeared.

He didn't get a chance to say goodbye to them. Immediately after the funeral, he went home and picked up his suitcase before his aunt and cousin took him to the train station.

Adrien was startled from his reverie by the train drifting to a halt. He wordlessly took his suitcase from the overhead compartment and followed his cousin and aunt - _guardian_ , his mind unhelpfully reminded him - to a waiting sedan that drove the three people to Amelie's modest house.

"Adrien, we've arranged Felix's room to accommodate you as well. It's late and you've had a long, stressful day. Your attendant, Philip, will show you the way. He will also give you something to help you sleep if you think you need it. We will see you tomorrow, Adrien."

Adrien nodded and trudged down the hall to Felix's room behind the tall, skinny man that his aunt had identified as Philip.

Philip opened the door and indicated a twin-size bed for Adrien to sleep in.

Adrien climbed in without a word and fell asleep shortly after his head hit the pillow. _I wonder if Philip is mute, too, like my last bodyguard_ was the last thought through his head.

* * *

Adrien sat up with a start and yelled.

"Easy, Adrien. You're okay." Felix was seated at his desk with his back to Adrien. "You were talking in your sleep. I don't think you have anything to worry about a _plague_ or whatever it was you were dreaming about."

Adrien wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sheet. "Uh, thanks. Sorry if I kept you up."

"It's no problem, I don't get much sleep anyway." He paused and took a deep breath. "I know I don't have a big room like you did. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, don't apologize." Adrien took a deep breath and rubbed his face.

"I mean, my parents never provided for me like yours did, with all those games and movies and pretty much everything I could have asked for… I just have… _this_. It's not what you're used to, I know. Sorry."

" _Felix._ " Adrien blinked back tears. "It's _okay_. Honest." What Felix didn't know about Adrien's home life could fill several volumes. Adrien would have traded a _parent_ for all of the stuff in his room, but he couldn't tell Felix that because he didn't want to seem ungrateful for what his father…

His father…

Adrien collapsed in his bed and started shaking as sobs wracked his body. This was the first time he was really able to stop and think about his father's death and what that meant for him. To him. He was a fool to ever complain about how his father was absent in his life or only showed up via tablet for his events… when he showed up at all.

Now…

"Can I… can I take a shower?" He held his breath to prevent the inevitable hiccups from coming. He was not doing so well at keeping the Agreste Stiff Upper Lip. He would have to do better, especially since now he was the only Agreste left…

...he was going to have to hurry up with that shower. Maybe it would wash some of these thoughts out of his brain.

"Of course, Adrien. Just down the hall and to your right. It's not a private shower by any means, but hopefully you'll be able to make do."

Adrien nodded, picked up his suitcase, and left the room. He almost immediately collided with Philip.

Philip took his suitcase from him and raised an eyebrow.

"Shower." Adrien fought to get the word out.

Philip led Adrien to the bathroom and placed his suitcase inside, then stood outside the door.

* * *

Adrien closed the door behind him, turned the water on, and opened his suitcase.

Plagg floated up next to Adrien. "Adrien… I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Plagg. I appreciate it." Adrien stripped off his clothes and stepped under the hot water. He picked up a bar of soap and started scrubbing until his skin was red, willing the tension and negativity he had been feeling off of his body and down the shower drain. He rolled his shoulders - a trick his mother had taught him to de-stress, but he wouldn't think about that right now - and tilted his head backwards to let the hot water run down his face.

"...Cat Noir?" Plagg was asking.

"Hmm?" Adrien responded, not opening his eyes.

"I said, do you want to get out and run around for a bit? Maybe let London know that they're being protected by Cat Noir?"

Adrien hummed. Cat Noir would be the perfect escape vehicle right now. But… Cat Noir wouldn't be Cat Noir without his Lady. A red-and-black spotted domino mask with electric blue eyes appeared in his imagination. Soft, concerned, _loving_ eyes. Eyes that he had burned into his mind since the first time he saw them.

He shook his head to get his attention back on his shower.

" _Hey!_ You just got me wet!" Plagg yelled.

"Plagg, _what are you doing in the shower with me?_ You know what, nevermind." He turned around, making sure he was rinsed off.

"Well?"

Part of the fun of being Cat Noir was getting to see Ladybug. OK, _most_ of the fun of being Cat Noir was getting to see Ladybug. Without Ladybug… well, Cat Noir wouldn't be much fun. And truth be told… Adrien had just lost one family member. He didn't want to be reminded that he had lost another.

"I can't, Plagg. If Cat Noir disappears from Paris and shows up in London, that's just going to worry the citizens of London, not reassure them. The only way London will see Cat Noir again is if there's an akuma. And who knows… maybe not even then. There's no telling if Ladybug would be able to make it here. And I'm not sure if I could make it back to Paris if there were another akuma there. I wish I had time to give Ladybug my ring so she could get another partner, but she's Guardian now, and she'll be able to get heroes whenever she needs."

"But they wouldn't be _you_."

"I know. And if I'm honest, I don't want to give up my ring, because I don't want to give up my kwami. I've lost everything that's important to me over the past few days… I don't want to lose you, too. I think keeping a low profile for the moment is best."

Plagg floated forward a bit to nuzzle Adrien but paused to reconsider, given how wet Adrien still was.

Adrien shut off the shower and was promptly greeted by a sharp knock on the door.

"Your shower time is up, Master Adrien." The voice on the other end of the door sounded like a male version of Nathalie. _That must be Philip_ , Adrien reasoned. _Guess he's not mute after all._

"Coming!" Adrien quickly toweled off and got dressed.

Plagg zipped inside Adrien's suitcase after it was closed, and Adrien carried it outside, where Philip took it.

"Sir, not to be disrespectful, but I didn't know there was a time limit on the showers." Adrien's voice was tentative. He didn't want to be a bad… guest?

"That's correct, Master Adrien. Mistress Amelie has imposed a five-minute limit on showers in the interests of economizing water."

"I'll do better next time, sir."

Philip nodded and opened the bedroom door.

"Breakfast will be in ten minutes; after that, we will begin your tutoring."

"Tutoring? I won't be going to school?"

"No, Master Adrien. Due to the differences in English and French education, it will be easier to complete your education here at the house. Plus, your English skills are… passable, at best. If you are to live here and potentially go to university in England, you will need to raise your English fluency. But we will go over the details at breakfast. You will receive your schedule and curriculum then."

* * *

Adrien stared at the paper in front of him, which was filled with a schedule so packed and detailed it might have been written by Nathalie herself. Instead of _piano practice_ or _fencing_ , however, it was filled with things like _meditation_ and _calisthenics_. "So it looks like I won't be continuing fencing or piano, either." His voice sounded hollow in his ears.

Amelie shook her head. "I'm sorry, Adrien, but we simply don't have the resources for such… _luxury._ At least, not at the moment. Despite my late husband's career as a film director, we aren't rolling in royalties or anything like that. Why, it's all we can do to keep this modest existence!"

"I understand." Adrien took a bite of dry toast.

"Your lessons will begin after breakfast. Philip will be your tutor. Don't be fooled by his position as your attendant; he graduated from Oxford and is one of the smartest people you'll ever meet, I dare say."

"Do we get any free time? I'd like to go into the city and get a new SIM card for my phone. The one I have now won't work in England."

"That won't be necessary, Adrien. None of us have phones, and you won't need one, either. It wouldn't be fair for you to have something that nobody else in the house has, would it?"

Adrien opened his mouth to protest, then quickly shut it. Complaining to his father seemed to get privilege taken away from him in the past - he didn't want to push his luck. At least he had his charger and a universal adapter for it. He'd still be able to look at the pictures he had saved on there. "I understand."

"And before you ask, _yes_ , your father left us a small monthly legacy to be administered from your trust for your care and upkeep, but it is not enough to have your larger items shipped over here. We also don't have access to your trust, so we can't replace any of the things you had at your father's house. I'm afraid you'll have to do without your elaborate computer setup, piano, or arcade games… not that we have the room for any of that here, anyway. Your father must have been under the impression that we were more, shall we say, _well off_ than we actually are."

Adrien took another bite of toast and said nothing.

"You'll learn to do without, Adrien." Amelie smiled. "We all have, and Felix has turned out just fine. You'll see."

_Grateful_ , Adrien told himself. He could be an orphan wandering the streets of Paris, or the ward of Nathalie, isolated in an empty, sterile mansion. Aunt Amelie and Felix were _family_ , after all. The only family he had left. He should be grateful. He forced a smile onto his face and nodded.

* * *

After the rigorous lessons had completed for the day, Adrien and Felix were sent to their room to prepare for dinner. Adrien was sitting on his bed, waiting for Felix to finish washing his hands when he noticed the collection of pinned butterflies above Felix's desk. His shudder was interrupted by the noise of the bedroom door closing.

"Hey, Adrien… I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry. We're even now, okay?" Felix walked up to Adrien and extended his left hand, a silver ring shining on his finger.

Adrien stood and clasped his cousin's hand. "I'm sorry, too. What do you mean, _even?"_

"Oh, you know, you didn't come to my father's funeral, and I didn't come to yours. Even."

Adrien dropped his hand to his side and wiped off the sudden clamminess he felt on his jeans. "Don't mention it, Felix." _Ever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading so far... if you're familiar with any of my previous work, you may remember that I used to maintain a _very_ furious writing schedule, usually having a large chapter buffer and updating two to three times a week on a regular schedule.
> 
> This is different. With the shelter-in-place throughout the world and my large household, I get very little time to write and can only grab a few minutes here and there to focus on this story. I'll update when I can, but I'd rather give you, the reader, quality writing than a rushed, haphazardly-told story. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Stay safe, sane, and well!
> 
> -Tempomental


End file.
